One-room school houses were typically uninteresting in their architecture; aesthetically, form followed function.  Most were built of logs, wood planks, stone, or bricks favoring a rectangular floor plan. However, there were exceptions.  Some school houses were built in an octagonal style for better lighting. Some where ornate. And some were even two or three stories. 

The design of one-room schools was often carefully considered.  Historians at the Locust Grove Schoolhouse museum state in “Typical Characteristics of One-Room Scholhouses” that builders often worked from architectural guides:  

They specified “pediments and arches over prominent entrances and prominent entry towers or bell towers denoting the school’s public function” and recommended “modest brackets” to distinguish common stone buildings as public institutions. One-room schoolhouse plans did not incorporate windows in the wall opposite the main door, so as not to backlight the teacher or blackboard writing. Large side windows were specified to allow natural daylight to illuminate the building even on cloudy or rainy days. Architects even suggested that windows be placed only on the left side of the classroom, as to not create shadows for right-handed scholars’ when practicing penmanship.

As the name implies, students and teacher conducted their business in one room, usually heated by a by a central coal or wood stove. Buildings sometimes had small ante rooms, closets, or storage spaces, but the defining feature of these schools was their grand room were all instruction and other daily school activities were held. In many situations, male teachers (and their families) lived in rooms or attached buildings often called a teacherage. Female teachers (oftentimes single) typically lodged nearby with a local family.